Another question that I periodically get asked is about pets (mainly dogs) and strep throat. The usual situation is a household where there has been strep throat in multiple family members or where someone, usually a child, has had repeated bouts of strep throat. People ask whether their pet could be the source.

Strep throat is caused by Group A Streptococcus, a bacterium that can be found in the throat and on the skin of some healthy people. Strep throat and impetigo are the most common diseases caused by Group A Streptococcus, although severe (‘invasive’) infections can occur, including ‘flesh-eating disease’. Group A Streptococcus is typically spread between people, both from people that are sick and healthy carriers.

Group A Streptococcus carriage by dogs and cats is extremely rare, and it is unlikely that they are involved in transmission to people. There were some older studies implicating dogs in transmission of Group A Strep, however there were weaknesses in the methods used by those studies which probably lead them to misidentify other types of Streptococcus that are often found in dogs as Group A Streptococcus. There is currently no convincing evidence that pets are a source of strep throat infection, although the possibility cannot be completed dismissed.

I have had questions about treatment of pets when recurrent strep throat infections were present in a household, which is not supported by any evidence and could lead to problems like antibiotic resistance and side-effects from antibiotic use such as diarrhea. It’s hard to say whether there is any indication to test dogs or cats when recurrent strep throat is present in a household. Collection of a throat swab by a veterinarian and culture of the swab is fairly easy to do. It’s not unreasonable to consider that but a few things must be remembered:

- Even if Group A Streptococcus is found in a pet, it does not mean that the pet is spreading it. The pet might just be an ‘innocent bystander’ that was infected by a family member. It makes no sense to test the pet if the rest of the household is not being tested.
- Proper identification must be performed by the laboratory to differentiate Group A Strep from other strep. Just finding ‘Streptococcus’ is not useful.
- There are no guidelines for what to do in the unlikely event that a pet is identified as a carrier.

Overall, pets are not likely a major (or even minor) source of strep throat. If strep throat is circulating within a household, it's most likely being spread between people.

My wife has a lousy immune system. She's a good indicator of whatever infectious diseases are circulating in the region. After running through a stretch where our whole family was biohazardous (baby with a cold, older two with two different...

Comments (1)Read through and enter the discussion with the form at the end

Ginny -
May 1, 2009 11:31 PM

My nine yr old daughter was tested and found positive for strep throat. Around the third day that she was suffering from this my maltese started with the chills. I took him to the vet, who checked him out, and was told that my dog had a sore throat, with swollen neck glands and was running a fever. I informed him that my daughter had strep throat and he seems to think this is what my puppy has.

Post A Comment / Question
Use this form to add a comment to this entry.

Name:

Email Address:

URL: (optional)

Comments:Remember personal info?
YesNo

Send To A Friend
Use this form to send this entry to a friend via email.

Email this entry to:

Your email address:

Message: (optional)

About: Worms & Germs Blog is an educational website coordinated by Drs. Scott Weese and Maureen Anderson of the Ontario Veterinary College's Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses. The site was initial set up with the help of funding from City...More...

Worms and Germs BlogPublished by University of Guelph Centre for Public Health & Zoonoses
Ontario Veterinary College
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario, N1G2W1, Canada.

The Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses offers information relating to zoonotic diseases (diseases transmitted from animals to people), including aspects of human and pet health, infection prevention and control, and vaccination. It is located at the University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada